Chapter 38

Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States

Gen no longer felt paranoid about her suspicions regarding something nefarious going on in Los Angeles. If it were just the police force, then she might think that it was just changes due to a new Commissioner and Chief of Police. But now that she knew there was some big operation needing high-powered vehicles in Los Angeles, she believed that something big was going on.

Not only that, but the movement on the streets had changed, both that of criminals and police. The neutral officers had all been moved to the north end of the county. The ones who scored morally low on their personality tests were all stationed around the downtown area, with the central part devoid of any supervision. It was this part of the city that Gen needed to get a better glimpse of. Therefore, she and Emperor took to the sky to get a better idea of what was happening below from a dragon's eye view.

For that day's reconnaissance mission over the City of Los Angeles, Gen and Emperor narrowed their focus to the areas where police patrols had been pulled. Those streets, sadly, were being overrun by criminal activity due to a lack of police presence. There were numerous reports as to the reason, but none of it made sense. Gen thought that there was an explanation that was more than about big crime bosses.

For some reason, she thought a very organized and powerful figure was at the head of this but she needed more information to support her gut feeling. She'd learned that from Sherlock Holmes and Rudolf. The fae followed his feelings and the great detective used facts. Together, they used both to guide them, arriving at the truth.

As Gen and Emperor soared over the bustling streets of downtown Los Angeles, the iconic cityscape stretched out beneath them like glittering soldiers, standing guard over the area. The sun-drenched skyscrapers of Bunker Hill stood tall and proud. Their windows reflected the golden light like a thousand gilded mirrors.

When the dragon and rider approached the intersection of Grand and Ninth Street, they started to scan for suspicious activity. The various buildings in the area caught their attention like the Trinity Auditorium, CAL State LA Downtown, Fashion Institute of Design and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. It was only when they hovered over Olive Street, alongside the huge bank that something caught Gen's eye that made her heart skip a beat.

The streets below were alive with activity, but not the kind one would expect on a typical day in the City of Angels. Strange patrols roamed the sidewalks, their movements crisp and purposeful, like a well-oiled machine. Unmarked cars lined the curbs, their tinted windows obscuring the identities of those within. And perhaps most intriguingly, Gen spotted police officers, their uniforms pristine and their expressions stern, descending into the depths of the city through hidden entrances that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

So there are police down here,she said in her head to Emperor.

But they aren't patrolling, he replied.

No, they seem to be doing something related to the bank,Gen said, honing her attention on the large structure, taking up a city block. Can you read any thoughts below that could help us?

I'm picking up on nearly a thousand thoughts,Emperor replied. I can't make sense of any of it. There's just too much noise to decipher.

Gen nodded, understandingly. Well, let me know if anything comes through that could help.

Emperor, sensing Gen's unease, banked sharply to the right, alighting atop the roof of the historic Biltmore Hotel. From their vantage point, the peculiarities of the scene below only magnified. The streets surrounding the Federal Reserve Bank were conspicuously devoid of the usual throng of tourists and office workers, as if an invisible hand had swept them clean.

Gen might be new to this world, but she was a quick study and knew that the downtown area was never deserted of people, not like it was on these particular streets. Something was going on. In the place of the usual citizens were a perimeter of heavily armed guards standing watch, their gazes fixed on the horizon like watchmen of an ancient fortress.

But it was the Federal Reserve Bank building itself that truly captured Gen's attention. The iconic structure, with its stately columns and ornate facade, seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. Its windows, usually transparent and inviting, were now opaque and foreboding, as if they were hiding secrets too terrible to behold. And there, at the base of the building, Gen noticed something that made her blood run cold.

A group of workmen, clad in nondescript overalls and hard hats, were busily erecting what appeared to be a makeshift tunnel. The entrance to this passageway was hidden behind a screen of scaffolding and construction equipment. The tunnel, Gen realized with a start, seemed to lead directly into the bowels of the Federal Reserve Bank, bypassing the building's formidable security measures like a secret passageway in a fairy-tale castle.

Why does that seem odd?

Because it is, Emperor replied in her head. You're trusting your instincts, like you've been told to do and it's telling you when something is out of place and not right. See, you don't have to know how this world works to know when something is wrong.

As Gen watched, her mind raced with possibilities. There had to be a reason that all patrols had been pulled from this set of city blocks. There were obviously law enforcement down there, but they didn't appear to be policing, rather they were guarding something.

Gen knew that she needed more information, more clues to unravel the mystery that lay before her. She needed maps of the city's underground labyrinth, blueprints of the Federal Reserve Bank's hidden chambers and vaults. She needed to know what secrets lay buried beneath the streets of Los Angeles, and what dark forces might be conspiring to unlock them.

Just then, a sharp movement caught Gen's eye. One of the guards, his gaze suddenly fixed on the rooftop where she and Emperor stood, began to raise his weapon. In a flash, Gen knew that they had been spotted, their presence on the rooftop a glaring anomaly in the carefully orchestrated scene below.

But Gen was nothing if not resourceful. With a quick glance around, she spotted a billboard advertising the latest Hollywood blockbuster, its larger-than-life characters poised in dramatic action poses. In a burst of inspiration, Gen and Emperor quickly arranged themselves to mimic the billboard's picture, their bodies frozen in place like living statues.

The guard, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, scanned the rooftop for a long moment. But as his gaze fell upon the billboard and its uncanny doppelgangers, he shook his head in confusion, as if doubting his own senses. With a shrug, he turned back to his post, leaving Gen and Emperor to exhale a silent sigh of relief.

As they took to the skies once more, Gen's mind churned with questions. She knew that she would need to delve deeper into the mysteries of the city, to peel back the layers of history and intrigue that lay hidden beneath its glittering surface. But for now, she had a new mission, a new purpose that burned bright within her like the eternal flame of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The game was afoot, and Gen and Emperor were ready to play.